Chief Technology Officer

Froedtert ThedaCare Health has retained Kirby Partners to support their search for a Chief Technology Officer.

Formed from the combination of two leading Wisconsin-based health systems, Froedtert ThedaCare Health (FTCH) is an integrated health care delivery network offering coordinated care with locations in central and southern Wisconsin.

The new organization includes 22,000+ employees and 3,400+ providers offering services in 18 hospitals and more than 360 outpatient locations, including primary care, health centers, and clinics. FTCH partners with the Medical College of Wisconsin, working in concert to expand its mission of patient care, innovation, medical research, and education.

Their combined health system’s presence spans nearly 200 miles, from Kenosha to Shawano, and dozens of communities in between that reflect the vibrant diversity of Wisconsin.

Enterprise Clinical Strategy Priorities:

• Establish a high-reliability clinical care delivery system (driving safety, quality, operations, experience, waste reduction and equity).
• Optimize patient access and navigation to timely and appropriate primary and specialty care.
• Provide Population Health foundational build in alignment with primary care model.
• Fully integrate digital and virtual care.
• Enhance care delivery model with expanded clinical research and education offerings.

Profile of Health Delivery System

Position Overview

The CTO is an infrastructure leader who drives FTCH technical advancements, maintaining a clear perspective on how infrastructure enables top-decile quality, experience, throughput, and growth.

Under direction of the Chief Information Officer, the CTO will align IT objectives and programs to system objectives and strategies. The CTO will coordinate and support information services strategy and operations for FTCH to maximize organizational performance.

The CTO must bring deep expertise and passion for building high-availability infrastructure and enterprise-scale platform-as-a-service (IaaS/PaaS) capabilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead cross-functional teams to achieve technology objectives, collaborating closely with senior leaders to ensure seamless technology integration across the organization.

• Foster a culture of technical excellence, strategic foresight, and top-decile IT operational effectiveness and efficiency.

• Apply expertise to design, deploy, consolidate, and manage multi-data center, cloud operations, and related infrastructure with 99.99% uptime.

• High-velocity incident management and remediation with a focus on root- cause analysis and problem resolution.

General Responsibilities:

• Supports strategic direction and operational leadership for IT infrastructure, including operations, capacity management, optimization, and disaster recovery. Ensures that technical infrastructure expenditures and purchases are optimized. Responsible for the security of FTCH’s electronic data and IT assets.
• Works closely with key product stakeholders to align technology and product strategies.
• Supports business plans that address and anticipate market trends and business requirements.
• Establishes and enforces best practices for technology roadmaps, budgeting, project prioritization and project delivery.
• Aligns appropriate industry standard tools and processes to ensure the seamless, secure, and uninterrupted access to information required by FTCH operations
• Ensures that IT infrastructure is optimized for performance, staffing, reliability, and cost levels.
• Maintains IT disaster recovery plan, including regular testing.
• Actively supports integration and interoperability of Digital Connected Care initiatives, analytics, Digital Innovation, Informatics and Strategic Partnerships.

Leadership and People Management:

• Assists in attracting, developing, and retaining a high-performing team to meet FTCH’s current and future needs through coaching, mentoring, and performance management.

• Guides a high-achieving technology team by setting clear expectations, providing feedback, and fostering continuous learning.

• Inspires teams in alignment with FTCH’s mission, vision, and guiding principles. Ensure the recruitment and retention of competent and capable team members. Direct and coach leaders to support progressive talent development.

• Champion thought leadership in adopting cutting-edge technology standards, protocols, and tools within a rapidly evolving digital health environment. Demonstrate strong cross-functional collaboration and the ability to inspire and implement visionary ideas.

• Provide technical guidance to optimize and design FTCH’s business process models and supporting architecture. Build strong relationships and serve as an escalation point for FTCH leaders, partners, and IT vendors.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• Experience in complex, matrixed organizations with responsibility for IT strategy, governance, and project prioritization.

• Led major initiatives including cloud migration, health system integration, and infrastructure modernization.

• Proficiency in cloud computing, with hands-on experience in major IaaS and PaaS platforms, like AWS and Azure.

• Strong understanding of cloud architecture principles, including networking, storage, compute, and security best practices.

• Proven ability to design, implement, and manage complex cloud infrastructure initiatives.

• Experience with DevOps practices and automation tools for cloud deployments.

• Familiarity with modern web, mobile, and application delivery platforms.

• Experience with IT service management, including incident and problem management.

• Familiarity with ITIL, ISO, and other industry-standard frameworks.

• Understanding of HIPAA, PCI, and other compliance standards in hybrid environments.

• Experience with data management, analysis, and visualization for data-driven decision-making.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience working in an academic medical center setting.

Strategic and Leadership Competencies:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; able to simplify complex issues and develop risk-aware plans.

• Effective in matrix environments with diverse stakeholders.

• Skilled at aligning IT with business needs through clear communication and collaboration across clinical, operational, and technical teams.

About Milwaukee/ Appleton, Wisconsin

The CTO will have flexibility in where to live within the region.

Milwaukee is the state’s largest city, located along Lake Michigan at the confluence of three rivers. The city features distinctive neighborhoods, professional sports venues, a nationally recognized dining scene, and hosts over 100 festivals annually, including one of the world’s largest music festivals.

There are five counties in Milwaukee’s metropolitan area; each one has its own character and is family-friendly. Some offer urban settings that are close to downtown or rural neighborhoods to enjoy nature.

The metropolitan area is home to over half a million people. With more than 150 state and county parks, dozens of museums, several professional sports teams, and over 100 golf courses, the region combines vibrant neighborhoods with opportunities for recreation, culture, and entertainment.

The city offers 1,400 acres of beaches and parks adjacent to the water. Warm-weather recreational opportunities include kayaking, sailing, paddle boarding, golfing, and hiking. There are opportunities for cross-country skiing just outside of Milwaukee.

Smaller cities like Appleton and Neenah, located on the Fox River and Lake Winnebago and a part of the Fox Cities metropolitan area, offer a quieter pace of life, welcoming communities, and easy access to nature. These cities are about 100 miles north of Milwaukee and close to key health system sites.

Known for its vibrant downtown, Appleton offers a blend of historic charm and modern amenities, with lively arts venues, local boutiques, and a diverse culinary scene. The city hosts numerous community events throughout the year, including a nationally recognized mile-long Christmas parade and an acclaimed summer music festival. Appleton is highly desirable for families with excellent schools and accessible neighborhoods.

Procedure for Candidacy

Final candidates should expect two interviews with Kirby Partners recruiters (including a video conference interview). Candidates may also be asked to complete our “Executive Profile” and submit references to be considered for presentation to the search committee.